Obama makes inaugural history with call for gay rights, mention of Stonewall

Between the president’s inaugural address call for equal rights for gay Americans, his mention of Stonewall, and the high profile presentation by poet Richard Blanco, a gay Latino, the second swearing in of Barack Obama marks a watershed moment for the LGBT community.

The president’s mention of gay rights — same sex marriage the obvious marker here — was met with joy by LGBT and progressive activists in the Twittersphere.

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” he said in his address.

Obama also made a pointed reference to the place that marked the first public battle for gay rights:
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall.”

Walter Shapiro, @WalterShapiro, a columist for Yahoo and CJR, in a tweet, suggested that the LGBT references in Obama’s speech may be what distinguishes it in the history books: “Quick assessment — it was B+ plus speech with a historic endorsement of gay rights. That’s the milestone. Most of the rest soon forgotten.”